Flax – characteristics, varieties, planting and cultivation subtleties

Flax is not only an important agricultural crop used in the textile and pharmaceutical industries, but also a popular ornamental plant. Let's learn about the different types of flax and the specifics of their cultivation.

Description of the plant

Flax (Linum) is an annual herbaceous plant used for the fabric of the same name. Its delicate blue flowers make it popular among gardeners and it is often used as an ornamental plant.

Characteristics and features of flax (common):

• Stem. Erect, slender, cylindrical. Height: 0.6-1.5 m. Branching at the top. Pale green in color. Has a slight waxy coating.
• Leaves. The leaves are sparsely arranged and spiral. They are 2-3 cm long and 3-4 cm wide. They are acute, sessile, linear or linear-lanceolate in shape. Their color is bluish-green.
• Flowers. Medium or small – 1.5 to 2.4 cm in diameter, with white stamens. The plant produces relatively few flowers. The flowers have long peduncles, and the sepals are 5-6 cm long. The color is light blue or blue, rarely white, pink, or red-violet. Flowering occurs from June to July.
• Fruit. The capsules are flattened to spherical, 6-8 mm long and 6-7 mm in diameter. Inside are 10 oblong, smooth and shiny seeds, 3.3-5 mm long. The color is light brown, dark brown, or greenish-yellow. The seeds ripen in July-August.

Types and varieties of flax

Flax is not only beautiful and useful, but also versatile. There are approximately two hundred species of this plant, of which the most well-known is the perennial blue flax. Depending on the species, flax is used as a fiber or oilseed crop.

Cultivated flax is divided into three groups:

• Flax. This fiber crop is grown for fabric production. The stem of this tall plant contains 20-30% fiber.
• Curly flax. It is grown for its seeds. The plant is low-growing, no taller than 30 cm, with highly branched stems. A single plant produces up to 80 capsules. The seeds are larger than those of the common flax. They contain 47% fat, which is why the common flax is often called oil flax. It is often grown as an ornamental plant. The common flax has very small flowers of varying colors—delicate lilac, lemon, and scarlet. It is a good precursor to winter crops, green fodder, and silage.
• Flax-mezheumok. A species that occupies a cross between the common mulberry and the curly mulberry. It is grown for its oil.

In the wild, creeping flax is a heavily foliated wild plant with blue flowers. It is used for breeding.

There are many subspecies and varieties of flax, including:

• Red. An ornamental annual with graceful stems. Height: up to 50 cm. Flowers are scarlet. Blooming lasts one day; by evening, the flowers fall off, and new ones bloom.
• Perennial blue. A perennial plant growing 60 cm tall with cornflower-blue or white flowers. It blooms in the second year.
• Yellow. A 60 cm tall perennial with large, bright yellow flowers. Grows well in shaded areas and on rocky slopes.
• Clear Dawns. An ornamental annual plant up to 40 cm tall. The flowers are purple, up to 3 cm in diameter.
• Celestial azure. A perennial plant growing up to 80 cm in height. Growing in the same place for years, the plant resembles a blue cloud.
• Northern. A perennial plant up to 35 cm tall, it grows in the northern regions – in the Subpolar and Polar Urals. The flowers are large, blue, with petals 1.8 cm long.
• Large-flowered. An annual plant up to 60 cm tall. Flowers are scarlet, 3 cm in diameter.
• Sunny bunny. A low-growing, easy-to-grow perennial with bright yellow flowers gathered in umbels. It's ideal for growing in flower beds.

Features of cultivation

Flax doesn't require any special growing conditions, so choosing a planting site isn't difficult. This plant will thrive in any conditions, but to get the most out of it, it's best planted in a sunny spot, not shaded by trees or buildings. Growing perennial flax in regions with limited sunshine can be challenging.

The video below will show you how to plant and grow flax in your garden:

Flax grows in all soils, with the exception of marshy soils. It's also advisable to select sites with deep groundwater. Flax is grown from seedlings or by sowing seeds in open ground – the choice depends on the plant species and climate conditions.

Directly into open ground

Flax is grown by direct sowing of seeds into the soil:

• Technical. The crop is grown on a large scale for fiber or oil production. Sowing procedure:
  • Before sowing, phosphorus is added to the soil at a rate of 10 kg/ha, carefully leveled and rolled.
  • Before sowing seeds, the soil is cultivated and harrowed in two directions.
  • The seeds are treated several months before sowing.
  • Sowing is carried out in mid-spring, when the soil warms up to 6-8 °C.
  • Seeds are sown in narrow rows. The row spacing is 7.5 cm. The optimal sowing depth is 1.5-3 cm.
• Decorative. If the region has a mild and warm climate, flax seeds are planted in open ground without growing seedlings. The soil is fertilized with compost or other organic fertilizer. The seeds are evenly distributed over the area prepared for sowing, without being buried deep. The seeds are carefully sprayed with water, covered with a thin layer of soil, and insulated like ordinary garden flowers.
  Sowing begins in spring or fall, when daytime temperatures reach 20°C. Aim for 5 cm spacing between seeds; if planting more densely, thin out the seedlings later. Broadcast sowing produces denser plantings.

It is prohibited to sow flax in open ground on rainy and damp days.

If you plant seeds in the fall, at a depth of 2-3 cm, there's a risk of the plant freezing. Plants planted in the spring, in warm weather, will bloom in the summer; perennials bloom the following year.

From seeds, as seedlings

In central Russia, growing flax from seedlings is more effective. They are grown in a warm room. Seedlings emerge 20 days after sowing. Seedlings cannot withstand even short-term frosts, so they are planted after the soil has warmed and temperatures have stabilized. The optimal time for planting seedlings is May to June, depending on the region's climate.

Flax sprouts evenly, but the seedlings are very fragile and sensitive to cold. It's necessary to provide shelter from the cold and wind. Once the plants are established, they will be able to withstand adverse conditions.

The procedure for planting flax seedlings:

1. Digging up the soil. Laying a 10 cm layer of crushed stone or sand for drainage.
2. Distribution of humus over the surface of the area.
3. Adding mineral fertilizers – potassium sulfate or superphosphate.
4. Planting seedlings with an interval of 5 cm between bushes.

It's best to plant seedlings in groups—without support, the plants will bend toward the ground. Later, if necessary, the plants can be replanted, but flax does not tolerate this procedure well.

Flax propagation

The flax propagation method depends on the plant type—annual and perennial species have their own preferences. The following propagation methods are distinguished:

• Seeds. The best time to plant flax is spring and fall. Perennial varieties can be planted in summer. For more effective planting, seeds are sown in containers and then placed outdoors without replanting. For large-scale flax cultivation, only seed propagation is used.
• Dividing the bush. This method is used for two-year-old flax. In the spring or after flowering, several sections are separated from the plant. The separated sections are planted at 20 cm intervals, watered regularly, and protected from direct sunlight.

Plants grown from seeds are more luxuriant and showy than those grown from seedlings. Perennials can grow in the same place for 4-5 years.

Care

Flax care depends on the species and the purpose for which it is grown. All flax species thrive in full sun, do not tolerate overwatering, and respond well to fertilizer. Decorative and industrial flax each require their own specific care requirements.

To ensure ornamental flax looks luxurious, its blooms should be abundant and as long as possible. To achieve this, the following measures are taken:

• Regular watering is essential, ensuring that water does not stagnate in the soil. Watering frequency depends on the weather, but on average, the plant is watered 1-2 times a week. As autumn approaches, watering becomes less frequent and eventually stops altogether.
• Regular weeding. Weeds detract from the flax's decorative qualities.
• Top dressing with complex fertilizers is carried out twice.
• Treatment against pests and diseases.

Caring for industrial flax involves timely fertilizing and watering. To grow a hundredweight of flax, 400-430 centners of water are required. Water shortages are especially dangerous during budding and flowering, as they lead to a sharp decline in yield. During this period, flax also requires nutrients, so farmers fertilize it.

What kind of soil does flax prefer?

Flax grows best in loamy soils—medium to light, silty ones. The optimal soil type is loamy soil with a deep topsoil, slightly acidic reaction, and a lumpy structure.

Light sandy loam soil is undesirable, especially with sandy subsoils, as flax suffers from moisture shortages. Flax also grows poorly in clay soils, as they compact and form a dense crust after precipitation.

Temperature

For flax of any purpose—technical or decorative, spinning or oilseed—the optimal temperature is 20°C. However, being a cold-resistant plant, flax thrives at lower temperatures, down to +12°C.

Top dressing

Flax doesn't require regular or abundant feeding. All the plant needs is:

• Pre-sowing application of organic fertilizer in combination with potassium fertilizers.
• During the period of active growth, complex mineral fertilizers are applied.
• Before flowering, apply the second fertilizer of the season.

Decorative flax is fed with ammonium sulfate, Ammophos, Sudarushka, Kristalon, and Kemira.

Industrial flax crops are fertilized with complex fertilizers containing boron and zinc. Application is made during cultivation at a depth of 10-12 cm. This approach allows for an even distribution of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients across the field surface.

Periods of increased need for mineral fertilizers are shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Diseases and pests

Flax is known as an easy-to-grow plant. However, despite its modest requirements, flax is just as vulnerable to pests and diseases as other crops. Flax diseases and pests, along with control measures, are listed in Table 2.

Table 2

Combination with other plants

The question of flax's compatibility with other plants is relevant in garden plots where it is used as an ornamental plant. Crops that are similar in growth and growing conditions make good companions for flax.

Perennial blue flax is especially popular with gardeners – its rich blue flowers, delicate and light, look harmonious in flowerbed arrangements. They are also planted in borders, mixed borders, and rock gardens.

Flax pairs well with plants that thrive in sun and tolerate drought. Best partners:

• chamomile;
• calendula;
• cornflowers;
• clover.

Harvesting

When growing flax indoors, the seeds—for sowing or other purposes—are collected at the stage of technical maturity. When growing flax for fiber, harvesting occurs when the stem is at its most fibrous.

You can tell it's time to harvest by the color of the boxes:

• Flax grown for yarn is harvested when the fruit reaches early yellow ripeness. Fifty percent of the bolls turn brown or yellow-green, and the other half turn yellow.
• Flax grown for oil is harvested at peak ripeness—the green pods should be no more than 5%. Harvesting typically occurs in August.

The harvesting technology depends on the type of flax:

• Oil flax. Harvesting is done using flax pulverizers and flax harvesters. This equipment pulverizes the flax, strips the seed pods, and loads them into trailers. Flax ripens unevenly. For the equipment to operate smoothly, the stalk moisture content must be above 40%. The optimal harvesting time is when 70-75% of the pods are ripe.
• FlaxHarvesting is carried out using specialized flax harvesting machines, which include a sequence of operations: pulling, combing, tying sheaves, growing sheaves, and collecting the heap. Dry flax is lifted and tied into sheaves at a moisture content of at least 20%.

Flax is a versatile plant that is both a valuable industrial raw material and a beautiful garden ornament. Requiring minimal care, cultivated flax produces high yields of fiber and oil in the fields, while ornamental varieties adorn the garden with luxurious blooms for almost two months of summer.

Frequently Asked Questions